Red Velvet Cupcakes and Coffee Factory

Nampo-dong is a great area of town to go shopping. You can buy pretty much anything you could possibly want to buy there, from fish and kimchi to great bags and shoes. But all that shopping really takes it out of you. Now, of course Nampo-dong has all the usual coffee and sweets places like Starbucks, the Coffee Bean and Coldstone but I think you can do better than that. So when you’re ready for your pick-me-up why not head to one of these two places.

Option 1: The Coffee Factory

This small independent coffee shop actually has 2 locations that are only about a block from each other. Both shops offer great coffee and herbal tea. If you’re an espresso fan fan be sure to try the espresso compania. I love the vanilla latte here, and the jasmine and peppermint teas are really refreshing. For me though, the best part of the Coffee Factory is the cheese cake. It’s really a pretty great, basic cheese cake on a graham cracker crust. Prices range from about 3000 to 4000 won per item.

How to get there:

Location 1: Find the ABC Mart on the main shopping street in Nampo-dong. Walk up the street. Turn on to the first street on the right, you will see the Coffee Factory on the left side of the street.

Location 2: From ABC Mart you’ll see a little street that forks off the the main intersection. Go up that street and you’ll see the Coffee Factory on the right side of the street.

UPDATE: There is also a rather large coffee factory in Seomyeon. Seomyeon subway exit 2, turn left after the PixDix and take your first right. There’s a huge 2-story Coffee Factory on your left. You can’t miss it!

Option 2: Red Velvet

If you’re more interested in having something sweet, then you should check out Red Velvet. This adorable cupcake shop is pretty much right across the street from one of the Coffee Factory locations. Red Velvet has about 8 different varieties of cupcakes. So far they’ve all been delicious. The coffee and tea are great too, and the decor is adorable. This is the perfect place for a sweet break during a girls’ shopping day. Or, for any guys reading, this would be a great place to take a girl on a date. The cupcakes cost 3,500-4,000 won.

Follow the directions for the Coffee Factory Location 2. Red Velvet is pretty much right across the street.